PGSS at JPL 11-12-18

PGSS alumni held a reunion at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday 12 Nov. In attendance were Laura De Lorenzo (2005), Scott Cohen (1999), Aaron Hammond (2018!), Paul Tripodi (1982), Nualhathai Songsanand (1986), and JPLers Al Cangahuala (1982), Joe Simon (2002, Tutor 2005), Hui Ying Wen (2003), and Gary Doran (2005), along with family members and significant others. The event began with a tour of the lab, including scale models of the Voyager spacecraft and Curiosity rover, as well as a view of the assembly and testing of the Mars 2020 rover. We also spent some time in the JPL ‘Dark Room,’ where engineers will be monitoring the Mars landing of the InSight spacecraft in two weeks. Hui Ying gave a brief overview of the GRACE Follow-On mission and her work on it as well. From there we adjourned to a nearby Japanese steakhouse, where we were joined by Amy Zhou (2014), and shared experiences from PGSS, life in SoCal, and discussed the ongoing fundraiser. Kudos to Aaron Hammond and his family for traveling the furthest (from PA!) to join us today; we hope you all can join us for future reunions ☺. Alberto Cangahuala